Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage It Program: Corrections Version

The Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage It Program (CALM) teaches male participants to monitor and understand their emotions in order to prevent and control problematic behaviors. The 24 sessions that the CALM consists of teaches participants the skills necessary to reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of anger in order to lessen the likelihood of aggression. The CALM program also addresses the management of other strong negative emotions and concerns, including jealousy, anxiety, and depression.

The complete CALM Program includes 6 comprehensive group leader guides with instructions on how to deliver the 24 group sessions; an individual workbook of exercises and personal assignments for each group member; a master package for group leaders containing participant handouts and overheads; and an audiotape that features relaxation exercises and educational game scripts (copies can be made free of charge).

The CALM sessions are practical, highly structured, sequential, and designed for delivery to groups of adolescent and adult males at risk for inappropriate, violent behavior, and in many cases, criminal recidivism. Personal assignments, modeling, role-play, teamwork, and self- and peer-evaluation are used to teach and promote lasting change of inappropriate and unproductive thought and behavior patterns.

Because the CALM program is fully scripted, it can be delivered in many situations by nonpsychotherapeutic personnel after a short training program. The participant workbook’s sixth-grade reading level makes it suitable for males with poor literacy skills and limited education. The scripts can be adapted easily to fit varied circumstances.Back to the top